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Friday, November 26, 2010

me, i most always buy stuff with some sort of discount/coupon/sale etc. we live in such an urban area with many stores so there are always deals to be had. today i braved the crowds and freezing rain for a microwave. ours died about 3 weeks ago and i was going to buy one then at $50+ but decided we could hold off until now. target had a great oster microwave for $33, not the most powerful but more than enough for our needs. then i treated myself to breakfast, 20% off, and then off to joann's for more deals. i got 15 yards of muslin at 50% off plus another 20% off, then thread 2 for 1, some christmas half yards at 50% off too and a batt, again 50% off. the store handed out $5 gift cards to those of us who were waiting so tomorrow i'm headed back for another half-price batt. it's how i've kept my quilting purchases pretty low this year. i'm betting the total won't be over $400 for everything, that includes used books on amazon, occasional magazines, other fabric/notions/tools purchases plus my guild membership. i've already paid my bills for the month and gotten a few christmas gifts as well, so it was prudent shopping. fortunately the freezing rain stopped and the temps are going up a bit, but it was an unwelcome harbinger of impending meteorologic inevitabilities.

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

actually, it's in the refrigerator waiting to be basted, stuffed and cooked! this is a native, home-grown turkey that my brother raised on his little farm. all we have to do is prep the pies and sides and clean the apartment, about a day's work in all. i've done all the food shopping and that in itself was exhausting. ***** thready issue, that of thread of course! my old viking used to take dual duty, which is no longer the case per the repair gurus. since Joann's is so close, i've morphed over to gutermann 100% cotton, which is very linty. there are some less-lint threads available to quilters but they are pricey. i'd like to try them but if i get hooked, not sure i can afford them long term. will probably stay with the gutermann and just keep cleaning out the machine after every project. ***** sewing progress? just quilting the butterfly quilt is all as i want it to get finished before christmas. we'll see.....

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

michele over at quilting gallery is compiling an on-line quilter's cookbook. i submitted my yummy "swedish walnuts" recipe and just this morning i got an email saying i had won a gift certificate at pink panda fabrics! how great is that! if you're interested in the recipe, watch her site and the publication date will be posted. ***** a terrific tuesday here in maine. been quilting my butterflies every day to get this done before christmas. i am loving the cross-hatch quilting design on this 30s style quilt and i know my kiddos in MD will too. they are both working this holiday (medical professionals) but we will be together in spirit as always.

Monday, November 22, 2010

47 years ago, i mean. i was living in norwich, connecticut, where i attended norwich free academy. i was walking home from school with my friend, linda banas, saving our bus money for christmas presents. we stopped at the appliance store window and saw the horrible news on television. we were thrilled that school was cancelled, but for those of us of the TV generation, the following days were nothing but funereal related, dirge music and sombre faces. and of course were were watching sunday morning when jack ruby jumped out of the crowd to shoot lee harvey oswald in cold blood. it was the most shocking thing ever televised, even in black and white. no doubt it will be one of the last things i ever forget, no matter how long i live.